Avenue Q at The Country Playhouse . . . Wow!

This is an excellent production. The actors are uniformly great, better for the most part than their equivalents in the Broadway production I saw several years ago.

Kalin Coates as Lucy the Slut if a gift from the theater gods. She had the audience in the palm of her hand; she stole every scene she was in. Both Tyler Galindo as Princeton and Laura Botkin as Kate Monster have beautiful voices. I can't imagine anyone improving on their performances. (Unlike on Broadway where Rod and Princeton are played by the same actor and Kate and Lucy are played by the same actor, each role is played by different actors here.)

And, tickets are only $28; or, if you go to www.goldstar.com, only $14 plus a small service fee. Best deal in town!

Gripes? Just a few. The actress playing Gary Coleman was excellent, but mike problems made it impossible to appreciate her performance. And, scene changes seemed to take longer than necessary, especially since nothing appeared to change. The lapses interrupted the show's otherwise perfect pacing.

I know that the Houston board is the loneliest place on BroadwayWorld, but if the few people who drop by periodically consider taking in this show, I know you won't be disappointed.

I was so sad to read that Laura Botkin, the actress who captivated the audience with her performance as Kate Monster, tragically died this past weekend in an auto accident. She was so young, beautiful, and talented. May she rest in peace.